Saturday, 18 December 2010

Wrapped in Cashmere...

I must admit, I have never had much faith in cashmere.

I don't own a Pashmina and don't see them as a status symbol, more as a kind of granny-wrap...

...I rest my case.

All I know is that there is good and not-so-good cashmere. Some years ago I followed a knitter's blog which itself followed a court case about a Debbie Bliss yarn containing a small percentage of cashmere, and the problem was that, on analysis, no cashmere fibres were found. My understanding of the defence was that the cashmere fibres in this case were very short (guess if you put a long one in it might go over that tiny percentage for that ball) and had simply 'fallen out' after being loosely spun (presumably so that the yarn felt soft and fluffy, to give the impression that it was worth paying for that tiny percentage of cashmere).

Nowadays cashmere sweaters are sold in M&S for a reasonable price, but I still don't own one. Mainly because the designs are so b****y boring. And I'm a bit worried about caring for it.

So, when I saw this sweater in the charity shop for £4, I thought it was worth the risk. The colour went perfectly with a top I had, and the maker was the White Stuff, which has always been a favourite of mine.

My picture-taking skills leave a lot to be desired, but this is a lovely sweater and I wanted to show it to you. You can switch to another window in your browser if you're feeling a bit queasy now...

Not too bad, although I do look as if I'm wearing diving weights under the sweater...

What I wanted to say, really, is that I've been maligning the poor old fibre. It is lovely and warm, this sweater - and light to wear, and soft to the touch, and all of those claims made for cashmere, and I like it VERY much. If you want to find out some cashmere truths, read this - it's not boring and scientific, I promise you.

3 comments:

First of all, good on your for picking it up at the charity shop. Secondly, the color suits you perfectly and thirdly, I especially like the design in the lower portion of the arms. I did read up on your link about Cashmere and am now enlightened...thank you!

Glad you have discovered the soft warmth of cashmere. I have 2 one a grey cardi bought in Galleries Lafayette when we lived in Limoges and the other a v neck sweater from Edinburgh Woollen Mills and both are so beautifully soft and warm. I hand wash mine although one says it can be machine washed and after rolling dry in a towel they don't take long to dry flat.

Fantastic! My mum always used to stop off in Paisley and Peebles on her way south, to shop for cashmere in their charity shops! Because they were wool-towns, their charity shops were often full of good-quality castoffs. Enjoy your thrifty luxury...